The Veteran (Semi) Professional

The Veteran (Semi) Professional

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The Veteran (Semi) Professional episodes

  • Ep. 218: Former Marine to 22% Lifetime Returns Investing In Stocks with Erik Smolinski

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    Erik is the first stock trader I've had on the podcast and he talks about how he got started in investing and why he loves this path for building wealth.

    CORE Leadership Program | Deloitte US

    The Intelligent Investor Rev Ed.: The Definitive Book on Value Investing: Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig, Warren E. Buffett: Amazon.com: Books

    esInvests | Investing without the BS

     esInvests - YouTube

    Erik @esInvests (@esInvests) / X (twitter.com)



    54 min
  • Ep. 217: Air Force Veteran Jon Stoddard on Buying Businesses

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    Jon is a prominent voice in the business acquisition community and got his start in buying businesses after leaving the Air Force. 

    Resources Mentioned: 

    Ep. 150: Enlisted Marine to Working at the VA, Supporting Veteran Entrepreneurs, and Founding a Veteran-Focused Marketing Firm with Barrett Bogue (buzzsprout.com)

    Ep. 154: Working in Finance, Taking the Leap, and Connecting Veterans with Capital: Bill Militello from Localvest (buzzsprout.com)

    Ep. 120: Army NCO to Business Owner by Acquiring a Small Business with John Hubbard (buzzsprout.com)

    Buy and Sell Online Businesses & Websites - Empire Flippers

    Jon Stoddard | LinkedIn



    44 min
  • Ep. 215: Navy SEAL to Private Equity and Launching a Search Fund with Jack Ogden of Island Search

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    I've had a lot of people on the show talk about buying businesses and have tangentially mentioned the traditional search fund model before, but Jack Ogden is the first guest on the show who is currently running a search fund. 


    Resources mentioned:
    The COMMIT Foundation | Veteran Transition Assistance

    With Your Shield: A McMorrow Veterans Initiative | USC Military & Veterans Initiative

    Home - The Honor Foundation

    FourBlock – Veteran Career Readiness



    49 min
  • Ep. 214: Finding Common Ground through a Willingness to Learn and Investing in America with Jordan Blashek

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    Jordan is using his love for our country to work with high-profile investors to invest in the American economy and defense. 

    Union: A Democrat, a Republican, and a Search for Common Ground: Blashek, Jordan, Haugh, 

    Christopher: 9780316423793: Amazon.com: Books

    Jordan Blashek — America’s Frontier Fund (americasfrontier.org)

    Jordan Blashek (@JordanBlashek) / X (twitter.com)



    49 min
  • Ep. 211: Enlisted Cav Scout to Software Developer and Building a Venture-Backed Software Company with Purpose with Luke Simianer

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    Luke's story of how he created Clusiv literally brought me to tears. You will want to hear it. 

    You will also laugh at his story of nervously pounding some red bulls before an investor pitch...and winning the competition.  


    Home-2023 - Clusiv

    Home - Bunker Labs

    Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark... by Napoleon Hill (amazon.com)

    Amazon.com: The Compound Effect: 9781593157241: Hardy, Darren: Books

    Homepage » Code Platoon | Code Camp for Veterans & Spouses

    Warrior Rising | Charitable Organization Empowering Veterans in Business

    Accelerate Your Success | Techstars Global Startup Network



    47 min
  • Ep. 210: Building the Veteran Coffee Company That is Actually Different with Michael Klemmer of Aerial Resupply Coffee

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    A veteran with a t-shirt or coffee company?! How original. 

    In all seriousness, what Mike is building at ARC is different.  He wants to be the antithesis to Black Rifle Coffee Company and isn't afraid to say it. 

    We get into very practical and tactical details about getting started of a new company and how he thinks about brand positioning (it's smart). 

    Aerial Resupply Coffee – Veteran Owned Coffee | Military Coffee

    AerialResupplyCoffee (@aerialresupplycoffee) • Instagram photos and videos

    The COMMIT Foundation | Veteran Transition Assistance

    DOD SkillBridge Program (osd.mil)



    1 hr 1 min
  • Ep. 209: Building a Business off of Having with Backyard Game Designer and Air Force Veteran Matt Butler

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    Minnesota-native Matt Butler is the inventor of Rollors. The concept was first visualized on downtime between deployments overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan supporting combat operations. Upon return, Matt developed a prototype in his garage that was a hit at BBQs, parties, and other outdoor get-togethers. Around the time of the recession; Matt saw many local veterans out of work that had the resident wood working skills that helped spark the light bulb onto a means to help them. He then decided he wanted to employ local veterans to help construct the wooden disks and wooden, cone-shaped targets used in the game in their home workshops.

    After countless number of games were handcrafted, packaged and sold through the website, church, craft fairs, and other types of venues it was then distributed in brick and mortar retailers across American and has even started distribution outside of the United States. After helping numerous veterans get themselves back on their feet from the recession he has it developed outside of the United States to be able to get it to a price point so many more people and families can enjoy the fun.

    Rollors has turned into an award-winning and unique game which is revolutionizing beach and backyard fun.



    Rollors | The Next Great Outdoor Game – Rollors Outdoor Yard Game

    Tally Tumbler – Tally Tumbler

    DOD SkillBridge Program (osd.mil)



    45 min

About The Veteran (Semi) Professional

From the publisher's feed

Honesty and advice to help veterans crush it at grad school, in entrepreneurship, and in professional careers. Humor and language often not as professional.